Why yogurt can really help you lose weight

For years we've been watching fellow colleague's pulling out a yogurt as they delve into their lunch bags. There between the tuna sandwich and the fruit for dessert is a yogurt. After a lot of research and some amazing results we now know that yogurt can actually help you lose weight.

New research from scientists at Washington University might offer more reason to jump on the yogurt bandwagon. According to a study just published in the journal "Science Translational Medicine", there could be a link between the amount of bacteria in your stomach and the amount of fat you carry around your middle.

When scientists from Washington University's School of Medicine took stomach bugs from mice eating fatty foods and injected them into the stomachs of lean mice on plant-based diets, they discovered that, despite their healthier diets, the lean mice started packing on the pounds, too.

So if you’re eating too much junk food, it could be causing the composition of the bacteria in your stomach to change in a way that further exacerbates weight gain.

So is yogurt the answer to our weight loss fantasy? Probably yes, not necessarily because yogurt will help you fight junk food loving bacteria in your stomach. Instead, it's because low-fat yogurt is high in calcium and protein, while still having enough carb and fat content to help you feel full. Just be sure to steer away from yogurts with added sugar and artificial ingredients, which are often high in calories too.

With more studies still in the process of analyzing yogurt, there might one day be a yogurt that helps eliminate fat bacteria altogether. Until then I personally will be reaching for my blueberry yogurt instead of the ice cream I am notorious for eating. Who knows, it might really do a body good.